Hirsbrunner

[NDSPTuba]

Damaged Hirsbrunner on ebay, doesn't say the model. I'm thinking HB-2 maybe?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... gory=16213" target="_blank

[Matt G]

Yeah, that's an HB2. Looks like a pawn shop horn, and seems a bit fishy. The bell is easily repairable by a qualified tech.

This will be an interesting auction to track.

[timdicarlo]

Worth buying as a fixer-upper? An HB-2 is a fine horn, and if I can pick one up on the cheap and have it repaired, it might be a worthy investment-- especially since I've been socking away money for an HB-2 for six months now.

So, seeing as the regulars on this board know infinitely more than I do about this sort of thing, what do you guys think? Better to take my chances with this one, or save till next winter and buy one that's in better condition?

Looks like a pawn shop horn, and seems a bit fishy.

What looks fishy about it? I'm not challenging your remark in any way; I'm just curious, and trying to pick up as much savvy as possible so I know what to look for in the future. Call me clueless, but hey, I'm learning.

[cjk]

I believe that the year 1927 is in the standard Hirsbrunner engraving. I think it's in a line about winning an award in that year (or something like that). I'm pretty sure that's where the 1927 comes from. I'm sure a Hirsbrunner owner could confirm that.

--Christian

[The Big Ben]

Worth buying as a fixer-upper? An HB-2 is a fine horn, and if I can pick one up on the cheap and have it repaired, it might be a worthy investment-- especially since I've been socking away money for an HB-2 for six months now.

The problem is that you are always taking a lot more risk by getting a 'horn to be repaired' via eBay. You can see the bent bell. That won't cost too much to have repaired. What other little problems will be uncovered when the bell gets fixed? Braces? Rotten mouth pipe? Loose valves? You don't actually get to see and touch the horn so you can't tell and I would guess that the seller wouldn't be able to tell either. Remember the Hirshbruner that the shippers dropped on the bell that was here last month? It went in for the bell and then it needed a mouth pipe and then, because it *was* a Hirshbrunner, it got a replate job, too. What kind of cost are we talking about if a rotor and linkage refit is thrown on top of those other repairs?

I'm not sure what one of these go for on the used market. To be really pessimistic, if you got it for $2K and had to drop another $2-3K in repairs, would you feel OK? Is this horn available on the used market for $5k in good shape with some sort of a warrantee from a reputable shop or known honest seller? If so, you might have a chance on coming out even. If a similar horn goes for $6K+ it might be a deal, over and above all of the other warnings about the seller. (The seller has almost 13,000 eBay points with 99.7% positive ratings so should be reliable as a seller. As a music seller? Don' know.)

As Dirty Harry said when he pointed the .44 Magnum at the criminal: "Do ya feel lucky, punk? Well, do ya?"

Not that I'm calling you a punk but you get the idea. It may or may not be a good deal. If you want a sure thing, pass this one by.

[Mister JP]

Well, the seller has over 12,000 feedbacks and 99.7% positive, so it would appear that the seller is legit, and I doubt the tuba is/was stolen. As for the tuba itself, still somewhat of a gamble, but it IS a Hirsbrunner...

[timdicarlo]

Thanks for all the input. I'm trying to develop a sense for this sort of thing, as I said, so as to avoid being ripped off in future purchases. I don't know that I'd ever buy a horn on eBay, but I'd feel a lot better about the prospect if I knew what to look for. So again, thanks for the advice, everybody.

Well, the seller has over 12,000 feedbacks and 99.7% positive, so it would appear that the seller is legit, and I doubt the tuba is/was stolen. As for the tuba itself, still somewhat of a gamble, but it IS a Hirsbrunner...

Yeah, but take a look at the seller's other listings: looks like the Hirsbrunner is the only musical instrument-- certainly the only tuba-- on the list. Ergo, the seller doesn't know much about the instrument and is just trying to unload it. Most likely this is an honest transaction, yes, but buying a tuba from someone who doesn't know much about tubas seems a little risky, at least for my taste.

[Mister JP]

http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl ... userid=nps" target="_blank

That's the seller's "about me" page, and it states they are a freight recovery company, they sell all kinds of crap. So you are 100% correct, they know nothing about tubas. But once again, is IS a Hirshbrunner...

[Mister JP]

That says very little except that they are really expensive....

I haven't seen the past discussions about the HB's,I always assumed that there must be something "better" about them that pushed their prices up so high. I'll have to search the archives and educate myself. Even if they are just overpriced, it's a chance to own one at a fraction of that otherwise inflated price.

[The Big Ben]

That says very little except that they are really expensive....

I haven't seen the past discussions about the HB's,I always assumed that there must be something "better" about them that pushed their prices up so high. I'll have to search the archives and educate myself. Even if they are just overpriced, it's a chance to own one at a fraction of that otherwise inflated price.

Personally, I would bid on this if I could get it below a certain dollar amount, because I could fix it up and unload it here for a MASSIVE profit after the "Hirsbrunner Premium" had been added into the price.

Since you have the skills to make the repairs, you would/could make a bit of loot by buying, repairing and selling eBay horns. Those of us who have to send our horns out might have a horn turn into a sucking black hole of money. If this HB just needs a bell straightening and a 'shave and a haircut' (full cleaning and adjustment, polish job), it might be OK. But who knows if it needs more?

[Mister JP]

I realize that it's just your opinion, elephant, and I really appreciate hearing it. I'm just coming back to playing and it's pretty obvious I have a lot to learn/relearn. I'm not looking to buy an HB, and I'm pretty sure the one tuba I do own will be my only one for the foreseeable future. But reading a professional player's take on tubas is great for future reference.

[tubaguy9]

Well, the seller has over 12,000 feedbacks and 99.7% positive, so it would appear that the seller is legit, and I doubt the tuba is/was stolen. As for the tuba itself, still somewhat of a gamble, but it IS a Hirsbrunner...

Just to throw in the paranoia again...
Seller feedback can be good, and you can still get ripped off. I remember a few years back when my dad was working on getting a new computer on the 'bay...and a nice one at that. Seller had either 100% positive feedback or something like it...Auction looked legit...So my dad bid and won the auction. Time goes by. Finally, after around a month at least, we get a phone call from the seller's parents, and find out that the original owner of the profile sold the profile, and his business, and that they no longer had the computer, and finally we get our money back...I'm Basically, making a long story short.
Therefore, if something looks fishy...don't get it.

[The Big Ben]

Anyone know the approximate street value of an HB-2 like this one but in average condition? How 'bout new? Custom Music does not list prices.

This horn has four days to go on the auction and it is at $4K right now.

[bort]

Anyone know the approximate street value of an HB-2 like this one but in average condition? How 'bout new? Custom Music does not list prices.

This horn has four days to go on the auction and it is at $4K right now.

I think the lowest I've seen any HB go for is $7,500.

$4k is a steal if this is legit. (If it's not legit, it's still a "steal"...yuk yuk yuk )

[Uncle Buck]

This has been said before in this thread, but it is worth repeating.

This auction is a risk - nothing more, nothing less. And that's not necessarily a good or bad thing.

The seller admittedly doesn't know anything about tubas, and it is unclear what kind of damage might exist that isn't easily visible.

The winner might get a good tuba for a good price that needs minor repair. The winner might end up paying too much for a tuba that needs a lot of repair.

For eBay, this is the case more often than not.

[Uncle Buck]

BTW, I just noticed this item is in my neck of the woods.

If anybody is seriously interested in bidding, and can do the legwork yourself (communicate with the seller, find out where the pawnshop is located, get permission for me to go check it out), I'd be glad to take a look and report before the auction is over.

My chops aren't good enough right now to do a meaningful, useful play test. But, I could check basic mechanical condition, look for damage that isn't apparent from the photos. (Assuming the valves move, I wouldn't know how to check whether they are the "infamous" nylon ones.)

I may regret having made this offer. I also would intend to post my findings here, not exclusively through a private message.

[Mister JP]

Yeah, I think the price has gotten out of the "possible bargain" category. If was hovering around $2,000 then there's still a chance of someone ending up with a pretty good horn for cheap + repairs. There is still a lot of time left in the auction, so I'd expect the final selling price to be even more than what it is currently sitting at.

SO... to the original poster, this looks definitely like a "pass."

[The Big Ben]

Sold!

$4550

[jacojdm]

Too much.

[ztuba]

someone just got scammed lol. I agree way too much for a horn in that condition.